A lighting system may have a lighting module which has a printed circuit board and at least one lighting means arranged on the printed circuit board. The lighting system may also have an electrical component which controls the lighting module and, in particular, the lighting means of the lighting module in order to operate them. The electrical component may be in the form of a ballast, for example.
Provision is usually made for the ballast to be arranged separately from the lighting module, for example by fastening the electrical component to a further printed circuit board arranged separately from the printed circuit board of the lighting module. The printed circuit board of the lighting module and the printed circuit board of the electrical component can then be fastened, for example, to a holder having elements, for example wires, which can be used to establish an electrical connection between the two printed circuit boards and therefore also between the lighting means and the electrical component. This results in complicated assembly since the lighting means first of all have to be mounted on the first printed circuit board and the electrical component has to be mounted on the second printed circuit board before an electrical connection can be established, for example by forming wiring, between the two printed circuit boards and therefore between the electrical component and the lighting means. In this case, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient mechanical and thermal connection by means of the fastening elements, for example a holder, and by means of the elements for forming the electrical connection. Furthermore, it is necessary to comply with safety requirements, such as provision of adequately dimensioned air gaps and leakage paths, by selecting special materials and using an additional housing and/or spacers.